Big Announcement

It's official! We will welcome Baby McFarland into the family sometime in early July! The doctor's first due date is July 4th, my dad's birthday, but we will see if it changes. I am now about 13 weeks along, and am just getting over all the first trimester fun! I never got morning sick, but was nauseous at night and extremely exhausted. We can't wait to find out what we are having in February, and we can't wait to welcome the first grandchild in both the Peterson and McFarland
families!

McFarland Christmas Letter

This year has been such a whirlwind for the both of us. We met in January, spent countless hours driving back and forth between Ogden and Lehi, vistited both our families, got engaged, and then got married in Salt Lake on June 27th. Our honeymoon consisted of a 2,000 mile drive from Utah, down to Costa Mesa, and back up the coast, stopping in Laguna Beach, Newport, Huntington, Santa Barbara and L.A, to Taylor's parents for our open house. We then drove another five hundred miles to Boise, for our reception there. After that it was back to Utah to pack up our stuff for the move to Kansas.

We have been in Kansas for five months now, though it seems longer. Taylor is enjoying his masters program in Sports Administration and even got straight A's this semester. He works so hard, and balances an Internship as well. As for me, I have adjusted to teaching first grade here in Wichita. Some days I come home and wonder what I was thinking, but most days I love it. We have also enjoyed our callings, Taylor in the Elder's Quorum Presidency and me in the Primary Presidency. We have made some good friends, and even been invited to watch some BYU games with them!

We have enjoyed a visit from my mom, and visited Taylor's family in California for Christmas. Though Taylor really wants a dog, I convinced him that a flat screen would suffice for now (there wasn't much convinving I had to do). We have loved being married and are approaching our 6th month anniversary. This year has brought such wonderful blessings, and we know there are many more to come in 2010.

What's Goin' On?

It's been awhile since we updated, so I figured I've give you all lucky readers the low down of our lives in good ole' Kansas.

We had so much fun going home to California for Thanksgiving. It was so nice to be with family, and to be with Taylor for five whole days. It was just the vacation we needed. The morning after we got there we had family pictures. Taylor is not a fan of pictures and thinks that our wedding pictures should fill up the picture quota for the next 10 years, but he made it through and there were some really cute ones. The next day, we had a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner, complete with fancy table settings, chocolate turkeys, tons of food, and delicious mashed potatos (my favorite). By far the highlight of the weekend was getting to see Wicked in San Fran! My in-laws knew how much I wanted to go see it, so they got tickets for the girls to go. The guys drove us down and then decided to go too! It was great that Taylor got to go cause he has heard me talk about it non-stop, and he liked it more than he thought he would. I think his exact words were "That was better than that modern dance show!". We loved being with the McFarlands for Thanksgiving and can't wait to see them again!

This past weekend Taylor and I roadtripped down to Norman, Oaklahoma for the UofA vs. Oaklahoma basketball game. We stopped in Oaklahoma City for lunch and to check it out. After leaving we were thankful that we are in Wichita. Sometimes I get homesick, but Wichita isn't that bad! We feel fortunate we ended up here, out of all the other choices. Overall it was a fun day, but all the driving reminded me of our endless roadtrip this summer (and coming again next summer!) We watched a blowout game, but to Taylor it was the "game of a lifetime!" Can you tell he loves sports?

We are gearing up for Christmas, and 13 whole days with my family! I am so excited. Only a week and a half of school to go! Today we got our first taste of a "Midwest Winter". It was freezing rain today when I left, and the roads were so icy. To me a winter storm isn't a storm without snow, but today was pretty scary driving into work. They are even talking about cancelling school if the weather gets worse! The best part is, we wouldn't have to make up the day later!

It's hard getting in the Christmas spirit without a tree, without my mom's decorations, but knowing that I get to go home and see family and friends, makes it feel a little bit more like Christmas!